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・The inside scoop on why Patong Beach is the area to stay in on Phuket Island
・Sightseeing spots close to Patong Beach
・Recommended hotels around Patong Beach
If you’ve landed on this article, you’re probably wrestling with “I’m thinking about staying in Patong Beach on Phuket Island, but is that really the right choice?” or “There are so many hotels, it’s so hard to pick one!”
Based on my own experience staying in Phuket, I’d like to introduce you to the area and hotels I recommend to make sure your trip doesn’t go wrong!
Where exactly is Patong Beach?
First, let’s check where Patong Beach is on the map.
Patong Beach is a beach resort located on the west coast of Phuket Island in southwestern Thailand.
The beach is shaped like a crescent moon, and it’s lined with restaurants, cafés, and bars nearby.
At night, Bangla Road, which stretches about 500m from Patong Beach, is famous! It’s the liveliest entertainment district on all of Phuket Island!
It’s packed with neon lights, and there are tons of beer bars, go-go bars, nightclubs, and massage shops.
Why we recommend Patong Beach
Phuket has beaches scattered all over the island, and if it’s your first time visiting, you’ll probably be at a loss over where to stay.
Phuket Island’s accommodation areas are broadly divided into four, but the one we recommend for beginners is Patong Beach.
Why? Here are the reasons!
Super cheap massage shops everywhere!
Around Patong Beach, massage shops are packed in everywhere, so the moment you feel tired from walking, you can relax with a massage right away!
And massage prices are just plain cheap!
For example, a one-hour traditional Thai massage in Japan runs around 8,000 yen, whereas in Thailand the going rate is about 300 baht (roughly 1,200 yen) for an hour — about 1/5 the price.
Every woman dreams of a “small, sculpted face.” With the same budget, you can get 5 times as many treatments in Thailand as you would in Japan!
Why not take this chance to get lots of massages and work toward that “small face” look?
Here are three recommended massage shops.
1. Limone Massage & Spa
Address: 110/3 Thawewong Rd, Tambon Patong, Amphoe Kathu, Chang Wat Phuket 83150
Hours: 10:00~23:00
Phone: +66 88 386 5661
2. Orientala Spa
Address: 43/2 Raj-U-Thid 200 Pee Road, Patong Beach, Kathu, Phuket 83150 Thailand
Hours: 10:00~24:00
Phone: +66 81 676 3602
3. Siladon Spa Phuket
Address: 240/9 Phangmuang Sai Kor Road | The Marina Hotel Phuket, Patong, Kathu, Phuket 83150, Thailand
Hours: 10:00~23:00
Phone: +66 98 325 4988
Everything from restaurants to gourmet food, souvenirs, and nightclubs — all within walking distance!
Restaurants, gourmet food, cafés, souvenirs, nightclubs, massages… the list goes on, but Patong Beach is probably the only place on Phuket Island where you can find all of this in one spot.
If you have an hour before your tour starts, there’s a café, a massage shop, or if you’re feeling a little hungry, a supermarket or street food stall — anything you need.
At night, stepping into a bar on Bangla Road and having a drink while watching a sexy dance show is something you can only do in Patong Beach! People gather here from all over the world, so it’s fun just to walk around!
Great access to sightseeing spots
On Phuket Island, Patong Beach in particular has a lot of sightseeing spots nearby, and access to pretty much anywhere is relatively convenient on average.
As you can see on the map, the northwest side is mostly mountains, and while there are sightseeing spots like private beaches there, there aren’t many, and moving between spots is inconvenient and inefficient.
Of course, if your goal is simply to relax at a private beach, that’s a different story.
Check the Google Map above to see the layout of Patong Beach and the surrounding sightseeing spots.
Select the icon in the top left to see a list of the spots on the map.
・Select in the top right to share via any social network or email. Feel free to share it when planning a trip with friends!
・Use the expand-map icon in the top right to view an enlarged map.
・Pink pin: Patong Beach
・Numbered pins: sightseeing spots
Sightseeing spots around Patong Beach
We’ve covered why we recommend Patong Beach — now let’s take a look at what kind of sightseeing spots are nearby if you stay there!
There’s plenty to see, so it’s definitely worth enjoying with a long stay!
Jungceylon
Phuket’s biggest shopping mall, home to over 300 stores across a huge site.
Clothing, general goods, restaurants, a supermarket, souvenirs — it has everything, and it’s open until 10pm, so it’s also a great spot to visit at night. You can walk there from Bangla Road too.
As for prices, since Phuket itself is a resort destination, things aren’t exactly cheap by Asian standards, so be careful not to overspend.
There are also some stall-like shops, and if you’re buying multiple items there, don’t forget to haggle — it’ll get cheaper!
Freedom Beach
It’s no exaggeration to say this is the closest beach to Patong with genuinely clear water — it’s that beautiful. Unfortunately, Patong Beach itself, honestly, isn’t all that clear.
There’s a 200 baht entrance fee, but the beach is worth every bit of it.
Boats also run from Patong Beach, but if you go by land, parts of the road to the beach are rough, so pack your beach sandals in your bag and wear walking-friendly shoes instead.
You can spot plenty of fish even in the shallows, so you might not even need to snorkel (lol).
Malin Plaza Patong
A market about a 15-minute walk inland from Patong Beach. It gets even livelier at night! The street food stalls have an incredible variety of dishes.
It’s officially open until midnight, but several stalls were still open even close to 1am! Prices are cheaper than around Patong Beach, but since it’s a tourist-oriented food stall village, it’s still Phuket-resort pricing.
The stalls have photo menus with prices listed, so you can order just by pointing.
Like a crowded food court in Japan, it can be a bit tough to grab a seat.
Phuket Simon Cabaret
Simon Cabaret is known as one of the must-see entertainment experiences in Phuket. You’ll be captivated by the amazing set design, gorgeous costumes, and glamorous cast. The highlights of this show are a mix of modern and traditional acts from around the world, a welcoming theater atmosphere equipped with high-tech sound and lighting, cheerful songs, and Thailand’s famous ladyboy dancers.
Old Phuket Town
An old town district that Portuguese and Dutch ships visited during the Age of Exploration, caught up in the rough waves of world history.
It’s a spot with colorful, cute streets that are absolutely Instagram-worthy! Souvenir shops and restaurants line the streets, and it’s a tourist town that draws a lot of Western visitors too.
The main attraction is the wall art, and it’s reminiscent of George Town on Penang Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site. On weekends it seems to become a pedestrian-only street.
I’d budget about 2 hours to look around, including a café break.
Tiger Kingdom Phuket
At Tiger Kingdom, you can get up close with tigers and take photos together. This spot is also guaranteed to be Instagram-worthy!
If you’d like, you can also arrange a shoot with a photographer. It’s hard to have this kind of experience in Japan, so why not give it a try? The photos the photographer takes are shared with you afterward via Dropbox, so no worries there.
The photographers are professionals, and the staff will even help get the tiger’s attention toward the camera. A small tiger (6–12 months old) costs about 600 baht.
Bonus: Laem Tong Beach (Phi Phi Island)
Phi Phi Island is known as Thailand’s hidden gem. If you’re going to Phuket, it’s a place you’ll want to visit at least once. In recent years the number of visitors has grown and it can get crowded, but the emerald green of the sea is truly something special!
The water is so clear that no matter what angle you shoot from, it’s guaranteed to look great on Instagram (lol)!
Ferries to Phi Phi Island depart from Rassada Pier, located about 20km east of Patong Beach.
If you’re staying in the northern area of Phuket Island, Rassada Pier will be quite far away. That means day trips will leave you with less time on Phi Phi Island itself.
If you’re staying at Patong Beach, you can go and come back the same day without any trouble.
Hotels around Patong Beach
We’ve covered why we recommend Patong Beach and the sightseeing spots nearby.
The Patong area mainly has attractions in the town center area and the beach side where Patong Beach itself is, and even though it’s a beach resort, the town area also has its own charm as a city.
If you want to do more than just enjoy Phuket’s ocean — if you also want to stroll through town and enjoy the local food — then we recommend staying at a hotel around Patong Beach.
This time, we’d like to introduce some recommended, cost-effective hotels around Patong Beach (roughly 8,000–10,000 yen per room).
Millennium Resort Patong Phuket
A 4-star hotel with excellent convenience — close to Patong Beach and directly connected to Bangla Road’s entertainment district and the Jungceylon shopping center. Even so, room rates don’t feel especially expensive.
The photo shows a room type with pool access, which runs around 20,000 yen a night, room only. If any room type will do, the cheapest option in the off-season is a 35㎡ room for around 7,000 yen. It has all the basic amenities you’d need, and there’s a training gym near the pool.
This hotel is split into two areas, Lakeside and Poolside — the Lakeside front desk is outdoors, so if check-in/check-out gets busy, it can get a bit muggy.
Breakfast is a buffet for a little over 1,000 yen, but the venue isn’t especially large and the variety is just so-so. Since shopping centers and food stalls are just a short walk away, a plan without breakfast might work just as well.
Baan Laimai Beach Resort & Spa
A 4-star hotel with outstanding access — Patong Beach stretches right out in front, just across the street. The hotel is U-shaped around the pool, and from the rooms in the middle of the U you get a double view of both the pool and the beach, just like in the photo.
Ignoring the view, a night runs about 8,000 yen, room only. Rooms with a pool view are in the 10,000–12,000 yen range, and rooms with direct pool access are around 20,000 yen. Since Patong Beach is right nearby anyway, personally I think a pool-view room is more than enough.
There are plenty of hotels close to Patong Beach, but I don’t think there’s another one that offers this quality at this price point.
The pool atmosphere at dusk, with background music playing, is really lovely.
The breakfast venue faces the hotel’s Patong Beach side, so a plan with breakfast is great if you want to relax outdoors while taking in the coastal view.
Deevana Patong Resort & Spa
A 4-star hotel where you can enjoy a resort with two pools set on a spacious property.
It’s about a 10–15 minute walk to Patong Beach and Bangla Road, but in exchange, it’s surrounded by lush greenery, and the morning birdsong is sure to be a soothing wake-up call.
This hotel’s biggest selling point is, without question, its value for money! The access isn’t great, admittedly, but you can stay from as little as 3,000 yen per room. The rooms are smaller compared to other hotels, but they’re spotlessly clean and left a great impression.
The breakfast buffet also has a good variety, and it opens from 7am, which is great if you’ve got an early optional tour booked and still want to grab breakfast.
Patong Beach Hotel
As the name suggests, this 4-star hotel sits right in the heart of Patong Beach. It’s fantastic that Patong Beach, Bangla Road, and Jungceylon are all within walking distance.
They also lend out beach towels, and the staff are friendly. I didn’t spot any Japanese-speaking staff. The rooms have a slightly playful, pop feel to them.
One thing that bothered me a bit was that the hot water pressure in the bath/shower was weak, though I imagine other rooms are fine (lol).
A superior-class room runs about 7,000 yen, and an ocean-view room comes to around 14,000 yen.
The KEE Resort & Spa
A 4-star hotel located between Patong Beach and Bangla Road. It’s about a 3-minute walk to Bangla Road, making it arguably the best location for anyone who wants to enjoy the club scene!
Patong Beach is also just a few minutes away, so it’s ideal if you also want to relax on the beach. Pool chairs and pool towels at the hotel are free to borrow!
The cheapest deluxe room, at 40㎡, runs about 10,000 yen, and pool access rooms are also around 20,000 yen.
One small downside — since Bangla Road is right nearby, depending on your room’s location, club music might carry through.
Wrap-Up
Did this give you a good sense of the appeal of Patong Beach and the hotels around it?
The best season to visit Phuket is from around November to March. Since it’s cold in Japan around the New Year holidays, many Japanese travelers visit Phuket during this time.
From November to March, temperatures sit around 20–30℃, which is perfect for sightseeing or swimming in the sea, so since it’s a special resort trip, it’s worth timing your visit to the best season!
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We’ll keep introducing sightseeing information from other regions too, so if there’s anything you’d like to see, feel free to reach out through the contact form or a DM on Twitter!
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